Tigers Face Padres in Basement Battle

BERNIE WILSON

Published 8:00 pm, Sunday, June 1, 2003

AP Sports Writer

Nineteen years ago, the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres played in the World Series. Look at them now, if you dare.

They're the two worst teams in baseball, and wouldn't you know it, the return of interleague play has served up a battle for the basement: a three-game series between the Tigers and Padres starting Tuesday night at Qualcomm Stadium.

It might not be a pretty sight. The jugger-nots, separated by just 1 1/2 games for the worst record in the majors, are so bad they've combined to win just 30 games. By comparison, Seattle and Atlanta, baseball's top two teams, have each won 37 games.

Detroit (14-40) became the first team to start 0-9 in consecutive seasons and took nearly three weeks just to win two games. The Padres (16-41) made it to .500 twice in April, then began a spectacular free fall, losing 28 of 34, to pull almost neck-and-neck with the Tigers.

"Biggest series of the year," deadpanned Padres manager Bruce Bochy, who needs that gallows humor to deal with five straight losing seasons since the Padres were swept by the New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series.

Playing without injured closer Trevor Hoffman and slugger Phil Nevin, the Padres haven't won consecutive games in more than five weeks. They're supposed to be building momentum for next year, when they move into a new downtown ballpark. But Qualcomm has become a dreary place, so quiet that fans throughout the big concrete bowl can hear umpires' calls and players calling for popups.

"I want Detroit to play better, and I want us to play better," said Bochy, whose friend, Alan Trammell, left the Padres' coaching staff in the offseason to return to the Tigers as manager.

"I know there'll be some people watching this with interest, just to see who takes over the worst record in baseball," Bochy said. "But that's not what I'm in this for, or the players. We still have a lot of baseball left. Now, if this was in September and we're still in this situation, I'd be very disappointed."

Detroit and San Diego could go down to the wire chasing the New York Mets' modern record of 120 losses in their expansion season of 1962.

"I've been looking forward to this series all season _ I was coaching there, and it is home _ but there are some mixed emotions," Trammell said. "They are struggling, much like we are."

Bochy spoke earlier this season with Trammell, who inherited a team with nine straight losing seasons.

"We weren't playing too bad at the time. Really, we talked about everything, but mainly, hey, it's a long year and they'll come around," Bochy said. "Next thing I know, we're right there with him."

Trammell, a San Diego native, was Detroit's star shortstop in 1984, forming a sensational double-play combination with Lou Whitaker. The Tigers got off to a 35-5 start, then finished the season with a five-game World Series win over the Padres. Trammell was the series MVP. Bochy was the Padres' backup catcher.

Now the teams have rosters filled with young players and journeymen.

"But I think Detroit is just like us _ they'll be better the following year because of what they're doing, throwing their young players out there, finding out what they have," Bochy said.

The Tigers did deny Roger Clemens his 300th victory on Sunday but lost to the Yankees in 17 innings.

Interleague games will be played in three segments, all in June. After six seasons, the NL leads 726-718.

There are some interesting matchups this season, thanks to the rotation of AL East-NL Central, NL East-AL West and AL Central-NL West.

The Yankees will play at Wrigley Field _ where Babe Ruth hit his "called shot" home run in the 1932 World Series _ for the first time since the 1938 World Series. Clemens will try a third time for No. 300 on Saturday against Kerry Wood.

Boston will play at Pittsburgh starting Tuesday in the rematch of the first World Series 100 years ago.